Diabetes with a smile–

blood sugar spikes

I read a great article in “Living with Diabetes,” online today. Angela Ginn-Meadow, RD, LDN, CDE, is a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and warned about the carbs that are not so obvious.

To avoid spikes in blood sugar, we all know that we have to limit the “white foods” — white pasta, mashed potatoes, white rice, and pastries, of course. I know that they’re low in nutritional value and high in carbs (o.k., I admit that I LOVE mashed potatoes (I’m Irish!), so I do my best to avoid them. Ginn-Meadow points out the sneaky carbs, the ones that are NOT so obvious. For instance, jarred spaghetti sauce; she suggests making homemade pasta sauces using a sugar substitution — OR — NO sugar. I can do that!

FABULOUS lobster dinner in Venice. My daughter had the lobster and pasta dish. Mine? No picture. Must have been boring…

Gina-Meadow went on to warn about the carbs hiding in condiments. I can attest to BBQ Sauce being a wicked culprit — usually, lots of sugar. She warns about Smoothies. I learned that the hard way, as I mentioned in earlier post “Smoothies and Diabetes,” on this blog. Other sweet treats were also mention, such as flavored coffees, yogurt, oatmeal, and some fat-free and sugar-free foods.

I enjoyed this article. It brought information to the forefront — you know how we push things WAY back into our minds, so we don’t have to address them. Gina-Meadow didn’t allow that, she pushed the information forward, so it couldn’t be missed. I thank her for the push…

BUT…

What I’ve learned over the years is that for ME, moderation isn’t always the answer. Sometimes, it just has to be ABSTINENCE. I tell myself, “Kathy, you just can’t have it.” Period. I know myself, at this point, and I’m acutely aware, that in some instances, a little will never be enough, so I just have to NOT EAT IT AT ALL. No one ever died from NOT eating junk food, right? 🙂